


The Test Came Back Positive - A Tragedy

by Cassangstel



Category: Cassunzel - Fandom, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Lesbian Character, Romance, Slow Romance, Suicide, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassangstel/pseuds/Cassangstel
Summary: Rapunzel has locked herself away in her bedroom for days. She has even ordered her guards to keep everyone, including Eugene and Cassandra, out. But when Cassandra won't take no for an answer, will Rapunzel confess what she's been keeping from her? Can their relationship withstand this secrecy, or will this be their breaking point?
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	The Test Came Back Positive - A Tragedy

A far-away wolf howled at the moon as the dried brown leaves still clinging to the trees rustled in the winter wind. The leaves stopped and stood still, but only for a moment, before another gust of frigid wind pushed against them. With every minute, another handful of leaves dropped into the thin blanket of snow that covered the ground throughout the kingdom of Corona. 

The fallen leaves, still at the mercy of the wind, shivered violently. Those who couldn’t hold their ground were pulled into the tide. 

Ever since Rapunzel had been found and returned to her home, the winters in Corona felt less cold. She had vowed to do whatever she could to make the winter months less dark and lonely for her citizens. Whether that meant giving out free big bowls of hot soup, handing out extra hand-knit blankets, mittens, scarves, and hats, or even teaching people how to ice skate, Rapunzel always did her part. Helping others was what made her feel happy. In fact, to see someone else smile was the one thing that made Rapunzel’s smile the brightest. 

She came out from the castle every day to spend time with her people, but for the last two days, her bright eyes and golden hair hadn’t been seen by a soul. Eugene always said nothing could keep Rapunzel away from those in need. Yet something kept her cooped up in her bedroom, away from those who needed her the most. 

* * *

For the past few days, Cassandra had been keeping herself busy with sword training and polishing her weapons. Becoming a castle guard wasn’t easy, but she did the work gladly, in part because she didn’t want to disappoint her father. She also worked hard because she knew it was what Rapunzel wanted from her. The look the princess gave her whenever she saw her taking orders and getting her work done never failed to make Cass short of breath. 

Before Rapunzel locked out the outside world, her and Cass had been spending so much time together -- much more than they ever had before. Their relationship was turning into something that Cass thought would be impossible. Every day felt like a dream, and each morning when she woke up, a part of her feared that it really had just been a dream. 

She hadn’t seen Rapunzel in two days, and Cass couldn’t help but start to worry. Cass had been up to Rapunzel’s room at least five times, but each time, she was shooed away by the guards at her door.

‘It isn’t like her to lock me out like this…’ Cass thought as she hung up a freshly polished mace and ax in her weapons closet. She shut the doors and sighed, letting the top of her head rest on the wood as her dark black and gray hair hung down, framing her face. ‘Did I do something wrong?’ 

Suddenly filled with fear and anxiety, Cass stomped her foot into the ground. She wouldn’t let the unknown cause her so much stress. There was only one logical solution for her problem, and it was to talk to Rapunzel, face to face, no matter what she had to do to see her. 

Cass climbed the stairs slowly, thinking over what she would say in her head if Rapunzel let her in this time. She wanted to tell the princess what she really felt.

‘Hey Raps, I know you’ve been MIA for a few days. I just want to make sure you’re okay, and let you know that if you ever need anything--’ Cass went over her lines over and over. ‘Whatever you’re going through, I’m here for you. Just let me in.’ 

Cass reached the top of the stairs and started walking down the hall to Rapunzel’s room. ‘Raps really has a knack for being dramatic, doesn’t she?’ 

* * *

Rapunzel sat on her bed staring at what was in her hands. How could one tiny object change her life so drastically in just one day? Everything was moving so fast, and she didn't know what to do. Her fall towards despair began two nights ago, and she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep since. 

She had stood in the middle of her bathroom, her mouth dropped in utter shock. She couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. There in her hands was the barely visible plus sign on the pregnancy test she had just taken. There was only ever one person that she had been intimate with, and that person was her best friend Cassandra. 

How was this possible? She was sure that they were careful about using protection. She was just a 19 year old girl, and she had only recently become the princess of an entire kingdom. But now… she was going to become a mother. How would Cass react? This was so shocking to her, she couldn't even begin to predict how Cass would react. Would she be angry? Sad? Disappointed? 

Rapunzel was absolutely terrified. She wasn't sure she was ready to take on such a huge responsibility but…

She touched her stomach tenderly, as hundreds of thoughts swam through her brain. Deep down, she really truly wanted to keep this baby. It was her baby, but most importantly it was hers and Cassandra's baby. And she deeply loved Cass with all her heart. Cass had never actually said that she loved her back, but she knew from Cass's actions that she did. 

Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel knew what she had to do. She had to tell Cass as soon as she could. Tomorrow, she was going to tell Cass and she hoped and prayed that everything would be okay. 

She spent the last two nights thinking about how she was going to approach the situation. After pacing for hours and hours, she eventually ended up sitting on her bed. The anxiety that crawled all over her skin wouldn't disappear no matter what she did.

Suddenly, she heard noises from outside her door. With another deep breath, she slowly approached the door. Her whole body was shaking. She could no longer escape what was bound to happen. 

* * *

The guards were still on duty, standing in front of Rapunzel’s bedroom like statues. “Hey guys,” Cass said, sauntering up to them with a grin. “Is Raps still in there?” 

Both of the guards, still looking forward with stone faces, nodded twice. 

“And, I’m guessing she’s not taking any visitors.” Again, the guards nodded. Cass sighed. “Listen guys, I didn’t want to have to do this… but I have to talk to Raps.” The guards didn’t move. 

“C’mon! She’s been in there for 2 days! Aren’t you guys even a little bit worried about her? Am I the only one who cares?” This garnered a reaction from the guards, but not the reaction Cass had hoped for. The guards frowned and directed their lances at her. 

“You and Eugene have to stop coming around here -- Princess’ orders.” 

Cassandra’s blood boiled over and, without thinking, she grabbed the dagger from her shoe and attacked both guards at the same time. With one swift kick, she knocked the lance out of the first guard’s hand. It fell to the floor with a crash. As the second guard swung at her, she ducked and wrapped her left hand around the fallen lance. 

Cass forced the lance’s steel head vertically between the second guard’s ankles. Then, rotating the wooden shaft so that the steel head was horizontal, Cass pulled as hard as she could. The guard’s feet were pulled out from beneath him and he fell on his back. His metal armor clattered and he let out a deep groan. 

While the second guard was lying on the ground, Cass jumped up to her feet and fought with the first. He was weaponless, but wasn’t afraid to fight with his fists. Cass, always up for a challenge, dropped the lance, then put her dagger back into her shoe. Her brow lowered in determination, and her mouth widened into a smirk. She raised her fists, ready to fight. 

“You sure you wanna do this?” Cass said. At once, the guard pounced at her, but Cass easily stepped out of the way. She grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him, then kicked the back of his knee so that he fell down. “I didn’t want it to have to come to this,” Cass said. “But you left me no choice.” 

Cass raised her fist, ready to punch the guard in the temple so that he fell unconscious, when she heard the doorknob of the princess’ bedroom doors click. 

All eyes quickly turned to look at Rapunzel standing in the doorway. Cass dropped the guard’s arm, and took a step back. Both guards quickly scrambled to their feet, embarrassed that the princess caught them being bested by a single girl. They saluted the princess and began apologizing, but when Rapunzel raised her hand, the guards went silent. 

“You’re being relieved,” Rapunzel said, and the guards slinked away. The moment Cass saw her, she knew something was wrong. Rapunzel’s eyes were dark, and her lips were chapped. Most obviously, her hair hadn’t been brushed. It was Cass’ duty to attend to the princess, and that meant keeping her hair brushed and ready for anything. Seeing Rapunzel look like this -- it caught Cassandra off guard, and made her heart drop into her stomach. 

“Come in, Cass,” Rapunzel said. Her voice was steady and quiet. Her usual cheerful tone was gone, and didn’t seem like it would be coming back any time soon. 

“Raps, I just want to make sure you’re okay, and let you know that if you ever need anything, I’m right here for you. You don’t have to hide from me.” Cass spoke as she walked into the princess’ bedroom. The moment she was alone with Rapunzel, her usual air of haughtiness and pride disappeared, showing the real girl beneath it all. Rapunzel carefully shut the doors behind them. “What’s going on? What’s with the locked doors? You’ve never locked me out before.” 

The princess’ room was dark -- the curtains hadn’t been drawn. There was a thin stream of light coming in through a sliver of curtain that illuminated a patch of carpet on the floor. Within the stream of light, Cass could see the particles of dust floating carelessly through the air. 

Rapunzel hastily picked up loose books and articles of clothing off of the floor and shoved them out of sight in drawers or cabinets. The only part of her room that didn’t look like it needed to be cleaned was her bed. The blankets were still ironed and tucked in, just the way Cass had left them when she had last seen Rapunzel. 

Rapunzel sat down on the bed facing the wall, her back to the windows. Cass, feeling too nervous to sit still, decided to stand by the end of the bed instead. 

“Cass, I-” Rapunzel began. Like a dog, Cass’ ears perked up, ready to digest every syllable that came out of the girl’s mouth. Rapunzel cleared her throat. The next words she spoke had a different tone to them. Cass could tell that she had rehearsed them. “The reason that I haven’t allowed you or Eugene to see me is that I’ve been dealing with some things. I needed to be away from both of you in order to keep my head straight. But, I’m… I’m glad that you’re here. I need to just… come clean.”

“Raps, slow down. What’s with all the drama? You don’t have to… to be afraid to tell me how you’re feeling.” Cass turned away from the princess, and took a few steps forward. The princess was about to end things with her, she knew it. The next words out of Rapunzel’s mouth would be, ‘we’re over, Cass. We can’t d--’

“You know that I love you, Cass. But there’s--”

“Just drop it, princess. I get it. You don’t want to see me anymore… like that. From now on I’ll just be your lady-in-waiting. No hard feelings.” Cass dropped her head and started for the door, but she felt a hand grab her shoulder. Cass stopped and turned around, hoping that Rapunzel couldn’t see the tears already starting to form in her eyes. 

“That’s not it. That’s not at all what I’m trying to tell you, Cass. Our relationship has come to a point that I don’t know how to navigate and I--”

“You’ve been ignoring me for two days straight, and now you finally let me in and tell me, what, that you’ve been thinking about our relationship but wouldn’t even talk to me? Relationships aren’t supposed to be one-sided, Raps. You told me that yourself. We’re supposed to tell each other how we’re feeling, not lock ourselves in our rooms. If we’re over, then just say so. I’m not interested in playing this ga--”

“I’m pregnant.” 

Cass stopped mid-sentence. Her entire body froze. Even her tongue couldn’t form any words. 

“I’m pregnant, and it’s your baby.” Rapunzel stuck her hand into her pocket, and when she brought it out, Cass could see the positive pregnancy test glaring at her through the dimly lit room. 

Cass’ head was spinning. She could barely stand up straight. Nothing seemed to make sense to her. Worries and doubt filled her mind, fear overtook her, but there was a feeling in her heart that she had never known before. Still, her words could only reflect the feelings she did know. 

“I know there’s a clinic in Vardaros. If we could just convince your parents to let you leave the kingdom for a few weeks, we could--” Cass was pacing the room with her hands wringing in front of her. Her head was down, staring at her feet, and her words had turned into muttering without her being aware. Rapunzel could barely hear the words coming out of her mouth. 

“A clinic? You want me to… to terminate this pregnancy?” This made Cass stop, stand up straight, and turn to face the princess, who’s scared expression had only intensified. “You want me to get rid of the thing that best represents the love we have for each other? I thought... I thought you loved me, Cass.”

Cass knew she was walking on eggshells. “What would Eugene think?” 

Now, her voice raising, and her chest puffing out, Rapunzel said, “Eugene only wants what’s best for me. He wants me to be happy, and I thought that that’s what you wanted too.”

“Of course I want you to be happy, Raps, but you’re missing the point! You’re engaged to Eugene. You… you do everything for him. You love him, your parents love him, heck, the whole kingdom loves him. He’s the one you already agreed to marry. Your life is set, and this baby is only going to mess that up.”

“Fine. Clearly I shouldn’t have told you about this. I should have just kept you locked out.”

“Maybe you should have.”

“Just leave, then! Get out of my sight.” Rapunzel walked over to her bedroom door and opened it. As Cass walked out, feeling defeated, Rapunzel wouldn’t even look her in the eye. 

* * *

“What the hell just happened?” Cass said to herself when she got back down to her own bedroom. When she had gone up those stairs just half an hour before, she hadn’t been expecting her whole life to change so drastically. The most dramatic life changes always happened fast, Cass realized. She thought of the way her mother had been there one day, and then was gone the next. And she thought of how she had been a carefree kid, and before she knew it, she was a lady-in-waiting, having a secret affair with the princess of Corona. 

Cass fell onto her bed and hid her face in her hands. She was going to be a mom. ‘How can I be a mom when my own mom abandoned me?’ She rolled over onto her stomach. ‘How will I explain this to the King and Queen?’

She shut her eyes and tried to clear her head. Then, another thought broke free from her heart. ‘If it’s a girl… how about Margaret? or Angeline…? No, too snobby.’ Cass chuckled. ‘Maybe April, no, May -- Rap’s birthday month.’ Cass was surprised to feel herself smile. Alone now, she felt more relaxed. Without Rapunzel’s searching eyes staring at her, trying to read her soul, Cass was able to look within herself. She could feel what she was feeling without the stress of having to express herself to the one she loved. 

Cass wrapped her arm around her head and buried herself away. She couldn’t stop smiling. It was as if the fight she had just had with Rapunzel was nothing more than a married couple’s quarrel. All the anger she had felt evaporated off of her. She could feel her cheeks and ears growing hot, and her whole body tingled. All the while, her heart pounded away in her chest, gradually filtering away the shock that had taken over and replacing it with happiness. 

‘And if it’s a boy… Luke? Cassian, or Cassius?’ Again, a laugh burbled up out of her. She could see children coming in and out of view, some with Rapunzel’s short brown hair and green eyes, others with her blonde hair flowing down their backs, and the rest with her own black and gray. Then she could see children that perfectly combined their traits, looking up at her and laughing. One had a scraped knee and went running into Rapunzel’s arms. Rapunzel kneeled down and poured her love over the child until the crying subsided. The princess’ green eyes raised, and gazed over the child’s shoulder. They pierced Cass’ heart. Another child had just drawn a picture and was lifting it above his head to show it off. Cass took the drawing out of his hands and she could hear herself complimenting his craftsmanship, but the words were muffled. Then another child grabbed her by the legs and nearly knocked her over. Another grabbed her arms. The drawing had disappeared -- everything had disappeared. All that was left were the squirming soft bodies, grabbing her, yelling for her, jumping onto her back, drooling on her. 

“Raps!” Cass yelled out. “Raps,” she yelled again. 

Cass opened her eyes. She dropped her arm down to her side, and she realized that the moon was in the sky, right outside her window. Cass sat up feeling renewed. She jumped to her feet and ran back up the castle stairs, taking two at a time, then down the hall and into Rapunzel’s bedroom. 

* * *

Cass swung open the bedroom doors and took a step inside, feeling like a completely different person than she had been when she was last in there. 

“Rapunzel, I’m so sorry about how I reacted. I’m a total idiot! I want to raise this baby with you! I--” Cass stopped and let out a scream that shook her to the core. 

Rapunzel was there, her hair wrapped tightly around her neck, while the rest was wrapped around a ceiling post. Her limp body hung in midair. Rapunzel had opened her curtains, so the moonlight was spilling into the room, casting the princess’ shadow at Cass’ feet. Perhaps she wanted to take a look at the beauty she was leaving behind one last time. 

Though Cass was faced with a scene from a horror movie, she wouldn’t let herself react to what she was seeing until she had done whatever she could to fix it. Rapunzel’s body was still swinging, which told Cass that she hadn’t been hanging for long. 

Without a moment to lose, Cass grabbed the chair from Rapunzel’s desk and pushed it beside Rapunzel. She jumped onto the chair and grabbed her. With one arm beneath Rapunzel and the other working on the knot around her neck, Cass lifted her up to relieve the stress on her neck, and finally, with shaking hands and trembling breaths, lowered the princess onto her bed.

Cass subconsciously thanked her father, the Captain of the Guard, for teaching her how to handle choking victims. She pushed on Rapunzel’s chest, then breathed deeply into her mouth. Beneath the moonlight, amidst winter wind that whispered in through the windows, Cassandra worked tirelessly to revive the princess. 

Compressions, breathing, compressions, breathing, over and over. With each failed round of CPR, Cass’ eyes became more and more blurred with tears. Soon, the tears were spilling out over her cheeks. They tickled her face and neck, but she didn’t dare take the time to wipe them away. Again she compressed, then breathed in Rapunzel’s still mouth. More compressions. More breathing. More tears. As they paved their way across Cass’ face, one tear noticed the golden girl lying motionless on the bed below. Her beauty was too great to bear from a distance, and it decided to fall, away from Cass’ cheek, onto Rapunzel’s. 

“Please,” Cass whispered. “Don’t do this to me… to us.” 

Without warning, Rapunzel’s face contracted, and the princess was thrown into a violent fit of coughing. 

“Raps,” Cass gasped. She held herself back until Rapunzel had caught her breath, then, there was nothing that could keep her away. 

“Cass,” Rapunzel said with a hoarse voice. 

Cass practically leaped at the princess -- her arms wrapped around the thin body and held it tight, never wanting to let go. The force of the embrace knocked Rapunzel onto her back, and Cass came down with her. Unafraid to let her emotions show, Cass pushed her face into Rapunzel’s neck and breathed in her smell as her tears flowed freely. 

“I shouldn’t have let this happen, Cass. It’s my--” 

Cass broke away for a quick minute, only long enough to say, “This is not your fault. I was wrong to react the way I did. I was scared. I was scared that I wouldn’t be a good mother, and… I still am. But, nothing scares me more than being away from you. I love you, Raps.” Directly after these words were spoken, Cass returned to her spot in the crook of Rapunzel’s neck. The princess’ warmth was quickly returning to her body.

“You mean…”

“Yes. I want to raise this baby with you.”

“Cassandra, don’t do this just for me. I know this is a big commitment. I don’t want to force you to--”

“There is nothing that would make me happier than to raise this baby with you. Nothing.” 

Cass raised her head to look at Rapunzel’s face once again. The princess’ eyes were filled with tears, too, but the only thing Cass could focus on was the smile that had spread across her lips. 

“Please, never do something like that again,” Cass said. “If you die, I die.” 

“Oh, Cass. I’m sor--”

Before Rapunzel could apologize again, Cass pressed her lips into hers. As their bodies came together again, their hearts beat as one. It was just them and this child against the cold, against the moonlight that swum in the princess’ hair, and against all odds that tried to keep them apart. 

Cass’ fingers wrapped around the back of Rapunzel’s head, pulling her even deeper into their embrace. And then, taking in a deep breath, Cass let go of her lips and tucked her face away, once again, into the princess’ neck -- the place she knew she was always wanted. 

“Don’t ever lock me out again,” Cass said once her tears stopped flowing. The two women were laying in peace, their breaths perfectly synced, and then, the moon disappeared behind a distant mountain and the darkness covered them. Not even the sound of the howling wolves could touch them, but the sight of her other half hanging from the ceiling would forever be imprinted on Cassandra’s mind. 

“I promise, I won’t.”


End file.
